Business of the House

Phil Brickell Excerpts

Thursday 8th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir Alan Campbell]

I thought for a moment that my hon. Friend had been talking to my wife about the success or otherwise of Evri. The delivery practices exposed in a recent “Panorama” programme are simply unacceptable. The Government expect all parcel operators to meet their service requirements, protect customers and support retailers at the busiest time of the year. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to shine a light on this. I hope colleagues will continue to do so until Evri, or any other operator, improves its performance.

[Phil Brickell (Bolton West) (Lab)]

For years, solicitor Andrew Milne has been bullying, threatening and harassing leaseholders, including my Horwich constituents, into buying freeholds off him at massively inflated prices—sometimes as much as £25,000—yet the Solicitors Regulation Authority has done nothing to stop his outrageous behaviour, which has caused immeasurable pain and suffering to my constituents. Homeowners in Bolton West should not have to live in fear of being ripped off by crooked lawyers, so will the Leader of the House set aside Government time for a debate on the lack of action by the Solicitors Regulation Authority in cracking down on lawyers like Milne, who continue to act with impunity?

[Sir Alan Campbell]

This sounds like a concerning case and I am sure the whole House will join me in condemning the behaviour my hon. Friend describes. The Solicitors Regulation Authority is an independent regulator, however the Minister for Courts and Legal Services is writing to it to seek an update and assurance about what action is being taken or what action it intends to take. I will ensure that he is updated on that.